Oregon coach Dan Lanning remarked that Indiana’s Curt Cignetti was “already competing” before the Peach Bowl even began, citing the Hoosiers’ early arrival at media events and autograph signings. By week’s end, that preemptive strike had unfolded into a full-scale rout on the field.
No. 1 Indiana left no doubt about its championship credentials, dismantling No. 5 Oregon 56-22 in a College Football Playoff (CFP) semifinal at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The victory sends the Hoosiers (15-0) to the CFP National Championship for the first time in program history, where they will face the Miami Hurricanes on Jan. 19 in Miami.
The tone was set 11 seconds into the contest. On Oregon’s first offensive snap, Indiana defensive back D’Angelo Ponds intercepted quarterback Dante Moore and returned it for a touchdown. The pick-six was the fastest score to start a Peach Bowl and announced that Indiana’s defense — and not Oregon’s high-powered offense — would dictate the evening.
“It all started with Ponds’ pick six,” Cignetti said in the postgame press conference. “We responded with a score and then created some turnovers on defense. We capitalized on offense, and that was the story of the first half.”
What followed was a surgical performance by Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Fernando Mendoza and a relentless Hoosier defense. Mendoza completed 17 of 20 passes (85%) for 177 yards and five touchdowns, spreading the wealth to four different receivers. He was not intercepted.
“My job is to be effective with making really accurate balls and really great decisions,” Mendoza said. “I’m glad those results came. However, none of that matters. All that matters right now is the National Championship.”
Mendoza’s counterpart, Dante Moore, finished 24-of-39 for 285 yards and two touchdowns but was sacked three times and threw the critical early interception. Oregon (13-2) also lost two fumbles, leading to 21 Indiana points off turnovers.
“The quarterback has to protect the football,” Moore said. “We beat ourselves.”
After Ponds’ opening score, Oregon briefly leveled the game with a 19-yard touchdown pass from Moore to tight end Jamari Johnson. Indiana answered with an 11-play, 75-yard drive capped by Mendoza’s 8-yard touchdown pass to Omar Cooper Jr., reclaiming a lead it would never relinquish.
The second quarter became a nightmare for the Ducks. Indiana running back Kaelon Black plunged in from a yard out, Mendoza hit Charlie Becker for a 36-yard score, and then found Elijah Sarratt for a 2-yard touchdown with 59 seconds left in the half. The Hoosiers led 35-7 at the break, the most significant halftime margin in a CFP semifinal since 2019.
“We take pride in putting the fire out,” said Oregon linebacker Bryce Boettcher, who led all defenders with 11 tackles. “They scored too much tonight, so that’s on the defense and credit to Indiana.”
Any hope of an Oregon comeback was extinguished early in the third quarter. Mendoza engineered another 75-yard drive, finishing it with a 13-yard touchdown pass to E.J. Williams Jr. to make it 42-7.
The Hoosiers’ offensive line, anchored by center Pat Coogan, provided a clean pocket for Mendoza and created lanes for 185 rushing yards. Black finished with 63 yards and two touchdowns, while Roman Hemby added 53 yards.
Defensively, Indiana’s scheme confused Moore all night. The Hoosiers recorded three sacks and 10 tackles for loss, with Ponds earning Defensive MVP honors.
“We have a lot of veteran guys that have strong character, very intelligent, and they can play,” Cignetti said. “The bottom line really in this business is you gotta get everybody to think alike.”
The crowd of 75,604 sounded overwhelmingly in Indiana’s favor, with “Hoo-siers” chants echoing throughout the dome.
“Not having to go on silent count because of Hoosier Nation being here… is a huge aspect,” Mendoza said.
Indiana now turns its attention to Miami, a familiar setting for both Mendoza and Ponds, who are natives of South Florida.
The Hoosiers will attempt to win the Big Ten’s third consecutive national title and cement a perfect season.
“It’s a very full-circle moment for myself,” Mendoza said of playing the title game near his hometown. “I think the National Championship means a lot to everybody.”
For Oregon, the season ends in a CFP semifinal blowout for the second straight year.
“You hurt for those guys because the world is going to judge everybody in that room based on the result tonight,” Lanning said. “I’m going to judge those guys on the kind of fathers they become some day, kind of husbands they become some day.”
For Indiana, the judgment is simple: one more win separates them from history.
Contact Multimedia Reporter Noral Parham at 317-762-7846 or email at noralp@indyrecorder.com. Follow him on X @3Noral. For more sports, click here.
Noral Parham is the multi-media & senior sports reporter for the Indianapolis Recorder, one of the oldest Black publications in the country. Prior to joining the Recorder, Parham served as the community advocate of the MLK Center in Indianapolis and senior copywriter for an e-commerce and marketing firm in Denver.
